It's been a long time since the last posting and much has happened in our church family! We celebrated with our
kids and community at Fall Fest on October 27th, which is always a fun time. Thanks to Gwen, Mary, and all the youth
and volunteers for making it possible. We also shared a wonderful time of Thanksgiving together with lots of excellent
food, time with friends, and singing. There is so much to be thankful for and we are grateful to God for so many blessings.
Most recently we have been celebrating the blessed coming of Christ. The first Sunday in Advent was December
2nd and thus began the season of the Christian year in which we prepare our hearts in expectation of the celebration of Emmanuel,
God with us. One of my favorite times of the year is our Church of the Nations Christmas service, in which all of our
congregations come together to celebrate through song and sharing in a variety of languages- English, Cantonese, Japanese,
Vietnamese, and Arabic. Everyone did such a wonderful job of leading us in worship and God's spirit and peace were
evident among us.
During this season, I encourage you to focus on what Christ's coming means to you.
Not the commercial Christmas that we are bombarded with around every corner, or the stress of having to be a million different
places at once, but what it means to have "God with us." May you experience the true peace that only God can
bring.
Here are the lyrics to one of my favorite Christmas hymns:
Come Thou Long-Expected Jesus
(Charles Wesley)
Come thou long-expected Jesus
Born to set Thy people free
From our fears
and sins release us
Let us find our rest in Thee
